In previous articles, we've spoken a lot about how to market your business to prospective clients. But once you get those new members through the door the real work begins; making sure they keep coming back. Member retention is key to ensuring the long-term survival of your fitness business. In this article, we'll explore why people don't renew memberships, and how you can retain your members.
Make sure you let your members know they're important from day one
The first few touchpoints are the most vital in your long term relationship with a new customer. That first impression really counts when it comes to member retention. Make sure you:
Members come back time and time again predominantly for two reasons.
As a PT customer, the relationship between you both is invaluable, and they choose to meet with you one to one for a reason, starting with trust. For customers who prefer group classes, the main reason they come back for more is the social connections and friendships they have made in class. The encouragement exchanged between peers motivates them to keep coming. It's always a combination of these things but sometimes focusing too much on one over the other weakens the relationship and hurts retention.
With that in mind let's explore some ways to build retention into your customer experience.
Buyers' remorse; it's a real thing and it can really harm your business. We've all done it. We've bought something or signed up to something and then almost immediately regretted it and then returned an item or cancelled a membership. A large amount of gym and fitness club memberships are cancelled because of buyers' remorse.
Maybe the person in question feels buyers quilt because they won't use it enough or that the value for money just isn't there. You need to make sure they don't have those doubts, especially early on in your professional relationship with your unsure client. But how can you do that?
Glad you asked because here are some tried and tested methods you can use to stop that buyers regret creeping in:
A personalised message is easy to set up in your TeamUp account, and it's perfect for reassuring your newly signed up member that they have made their best decision in ages; to get fit and healthy with you and your business. In this message, be sure to include:
You don't have to stop at the one email either. We're not suggesting that you start bombarding your members with unrelenting spam emails telling them to go to the gym or come to class or sign up for a session. Apart from anything else, there's only so much alliteration one person can stand.
Sending a bi-weekly or monthly email with workout tips is one of the easier to implement member retention strategies. It reminds your members you're thinking about them. Including links to your new on-demand content demonstrating a workout and the correct way to do it doesn't just help them in a functional sense, but it also reminds them of that members-only perk we mentioned earlier. Don't let them forget that non-members aren't getting that with their non-members' package.
Don't stop encouraging your members to chase their fitness goals
There is one email that can be regularly sent as a way to retain members; the progress report. After each workout, you can use the reports feature on TeamUp to show your clients how far they've come in their attendance and dedication to their fitness journey and to tell them to keep pushing. Showing them that they're making the most of their memberships by attending regular classes and sessions lets them see the value for money is absolutely there. That, along with their Fitbit, will give them tangible evidence that by sticking to their goals they will see real results. Tap into your members' egos a bit and remind them that...
Get them to join your online community to help encourage membership growth and retention. Of course, you have your Facebook group and Instagram poised and ready to go to keep your new members focused on their goals and their minds off the dreaded buyer's remorse. Encourage new members to follow your pages. Instagram is obviously a great place for your promotional content. High-quality photos and reels of your classes will really push what it is you do while inspiring your new clientele to get involved.
Having a Facebook group is a good way to push the idea of a fitness community. Not only can your members see your promotions and content here, but it's a chance for them to interact with each other. One idea to get a community feeling going is to set challenges, be it weekly or monthly, something we'll expand on later. The point is it's a good way to keep your members engaging not just with you but with each other outside of class. Clients building a rapport is a good way of getting people to keep coming back, helping with your member retention, and you'll even find certain groups always booking sessions together.
Your Facebook group, as we have established, is a place your members can use to keep building a rapport with one another. A way to maximise this is to set occasional challenges, especially during peak times for new sign-ups, namely the New Year resolutionists and the September rush contingent. It allows current members to enjoy some friendly competition, and it shows your new members that keeping fit is not just another task for the day, it's something fun that can be shared. It's a great motivator knowing that you're all taking part in something like a fitness challenge and you'll see your members encouraging each other all the way.
Nowadays, people are less inclined to sign up for anything if they think they're going to be tied down to a long contract. Be it a phone deal or a gym membership, they need to know that there is a realistic release date. People don't want to feel as though they've signed on the dotted line and now the judge has brought down the gabble on what is no longer a fitness program. Instead, they're now facing an indeterminate sentence and the weight room doesn't feel like a workout zone but a prison yard.
It's always daunting starting a new activity, especially if you're surrounded by people who have been at it for a while. You're going to have built a rapport with your long-standing clients and that will inevitably be noticeable to your new clients and members. It's important to remember that you have to be equally encouraging to those new to your class. They know that their first few classes won't be their best, but it's important that they don't feel defeated and discouraged from coming back. Give them tips about form as they go without singling them out, but definitely give them a shout out during a workout letting them know that they're making progress. Massaging the ego every now and again is something we all need when chasing our fitness goals.
Ultimately the best way to retain members and make sure your members don't cancel their memberships is to make sure that you never reach that point in the first place. When it comes down to it, once someone decides to cancel their membership for anything, the ship has already sailed and the chances of them being persuaded to change their minds are slim to none. The task of member retention starts as soon as they sign up for your services, not when they've decided to go elsewhere. Ensuring that you have done everything you possibly can to give your members the best possible experience at your gym, studio, or fitness centre is the best way to anchor them at the port and to prevent that ship from sailing off to new shores.
For more tips and advice on managing your business and keeping your members coming back for more check out these articles:
How to encourage your customers to come back to class
How to motivate your personal training clients: top tips
Thanks for reading!